New Sneaks for me, too

Just last month, Jay put some new rubber on his Earthfucker. I commented then that I knew I was getting close - my tires were still legal, but just barely.

Well, Sunday morning on my way to work, the low-pressure light came on - as it is wont to do when it gets cold, and it had been COLD that night. So I ignored it, as it has been a false alarm every single other time it's blinked on.

A few miles down the road I hit a bump and felt the back end skip sideways a hair. I slowed down and heard that distinctive "wubbawubbawubbawubba" that just screams, "Bend over and open your wallet, sucka!"

I drove slow to the next spot I could safely pull off and checked... sure enough, back right tire was pancaked. Called work to let them know I'd be late, changed the tire (and topped off the spare with one of those 12V inflators), and continued to work. Made some calls.

Goodyear was open 'til 4 and would get me in at 3. My options were a Dunlop "Rover HT", a high-fuel-efficiency something, and Wranglers. All were in stock. I told him I'd decide when I got there. I did some reading, decided I wanted to keep my off-road capability, and ended up choosing the Wrangler Silent Armors.

An hour in their waiting room and a cool large later, I drove off with new tires.

Interestingly, they are distinctly quieter. I popped open the decibel meter app on the tablet (which isn't terribly accurate, but it is a comparison point) on the way there and got a reading at highway speed of 93-95dB. Heading home on the new skins? 81-84dB.